This article, “what is Umbrella Corporation” contains spoilers regarding Netflix’s Resident Evil season 1.
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Umbrella Corporation is a huge part of the Resident Evil game universe. But does it take on a similar form in the TV Show? If so, what are their goals? And could those goals lead to the end of the world?
What is Umbrella Corporation, and do they succeed with their goal in Resident Evil season 1?
In the first season of Resident Evil, Evelyn Marcus pretty much runs Umbrella. Whilst Evelyn may be a new character to the Resident Evil universe, she is the daughter of James Marcus, who appeared in several of the video games, namely, Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. In the television version of Resident Evil, James was one of the founders of Umbrella Corporation and helped start the creation of the T-Virus. But after he was banished from the company, his daughter, Evelyn, is now desperate to reclaim what was stolen from her family and follow in his footsteps and wants to take the T-Virus to the next stage.
Evelyn hopes to use a psychotropic drug called Joy and the T-Virus to make the world a better place. She believes, with no doubt in her mind, that she can use the virus to eliminate illnesses such as depression and anxiety from the world. But Evelyn’s sociopathic, greedy, and obsessive nature means she is unable to listen to reason. And despite many claims from Albert that “Joy” and the T-Virus could result in the deaths of millions, Evelyn continues with her goal.
Even with the warning of the horrible side effects, Evelyn thinks the best thing to do is to move forward with “Joy”, even if it means it only benefits Umbrella Corporation. Whilst the first season of Resident Evil hasn’t fully explained how “the end” happens between 2022 and 2036, it’s safe to say that it will be down to “Joy”. Interestingly, in 2036 Billie claims that she now has no fear inside of her, and that’s how she is able to use Evelyn to control Umbrella Corporation. So maybe Evelyn’s goal to remove illnesses such as depression and anxiety did work. But did it come at the cost of the world?
What did you think of Umbrella Corporation’s role in the first season of Resident Evil? Did it live up to the hype it had from the video games?
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